


Dating Game

by lilsstr



Category: Twilight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-06-07
Updated: 2012-06-06
Packaged: 2017-11-07 03:02:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/426212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilsstr/pseuds/lilsstr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four single career women in their thirties navigate the dating world and the men in it, their men. AH, cannon pairings by the end. Lightly based on ides from Sex and the City, Rated M for language and adult themes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyers does, but the idea and telling of the tale below is a creature of my own making.

Big thanks to my Beta Jess and Pre-reader Karen. I wouldn't be able to do this without them.

Thanks to Gayle for always being my friend, supporting my writing, and always pushing me to do something I love.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Chapter 1:

_It might not be a proven fact, but in life, it is easier to make friends, find jobs, and date in your twenties. By the time you're thirty, you are supposed to already be an established career woman with a husband and the requisite two point five kids. If you weren't married by the time you were thirty in the days of ole, you were affectionately put on the shelf, too old for such things as marriage and a family. Though in today's age of same sex marriages and babies at fifty, why are the rules of the dating game so much different for woman in their thirties? Especially, successful career oriented woman? Who makes these rules, and why must woman follow them? Why is it ok to be in a long-term relationship with a man who you know won't actually commit to the marriage and two point five kids but not ok for a woman over thirty to be single?_

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

It's a typical chilly autumn morning. Four successful women in their thirties, friends who had met during their undergrad and stayed friends through graduate school, sitting around their favorite table sharing their traditional Sunday Brunch. They had started this tradition four years ago on the weekend after they had all graduated with their respective degrees. They had wanted it to be a way for them to stay in touch. It all started as a once-a-month tradition, and now, they meet every Sunday. They had all attended the University of Washington in Seattle, and while only two of them stayed there for graduate school, they had all remained friends and somehow managed to all get jobs in the city they had fallen in love with. Between them there was a journalist, an advertising agent, a fashion designer, and an assistant district attorney. They were all doing what they loved. Now, they just needed to work on the two point five kids and the husband. Ironically enough, none of them were married and only two in any sort of long term relationship.

This Sunday felt different to them as they all sat down and perused the menu they knew by heart. This was the Sunday they were getting together to talk about the breakup that had been coming for the past several months; the break up, they all knew was inevitable. Bella Swan, the journalist, had been dating Edward Mason, CEO of Mason Inc., for the past three years with no sign of a lasting commitment coming. During that time, they had broken up and gotten back together no less than ten times, but this time, this break-up, they all knew was for real. Bella was ready for the commitment, and Edward was more than happy to stay the way they were: stagnant and unmarried. So after their date Wednesday night, Bella had told him how she felt, and in true Edward Mason fashion, he told her he wasn't ready, turned and walked out of her apartment, and she hadn't spoken to him since.

"Has he called yet?" Esme, the assistant district attorney, in the group asked.

"No," Bella said putting down her menu. "I don't think he's going to."

"You don't know that," Alice, the ever present optimist and fashion designer, said without looking up from her menu.

"Yes, I do," Bella told them. "His driver brought my things from his apartment yesterday. He's never done that before. This time, it's really over, and he doesn't have the guts to face me himself."

"Maybe, this is his way of getting you to talk to him," Alice said, finally putting down her menu.

"Flowers and jewelry are the way that he gets her to talk to him, Alice, not returning her property," Rose, the "tough as nails doesn't need to rely on a man" advertising executive, stated. "I've told you time and time again, Bella, that Mr. Big Shot Edward Mason isn't the committing type. After three years, you should know this."

She should know this, and she did, but she had hoped that after three years together, he'd changed his mind. She should have realized after their talk about his first marriage that ended in complete disaster that Edward Mason wouldn't do that again.

"I still say he will call," Alice said. "He always does. He is a mess without Bella."

"He won't," Bella restated. "It's over. Done. Capute. It's time for me to realize this and move on. Be over Edward Mason once and for all."

"Maybe, it's for the best," Esme offered, trying to comfort Bella.

"How can you say it's for the best Esme?" Alice asked. "They are in love with each other. Soul mates. They are destined to be together. This is just another one of their silly breakups."

"It's not, Alice," Bella interjected before Esme got the chance to answer. "We are done. I'm not playing his game anymore. It's time. I love him. I will always love him, but I can't do this anymore. I need to find someone that wants me enough to commit to me, and Edward Mason isn't it."

"That's right, Bella," Rose said. "You stick to your guns this time. Move on. Show him that you can live without him. You're waiting for him to make a commitment, and we know he won't. It's just pointless. Find someone who will give you what you need. Edward will get over it. He always does."

"Carlisle asked me to move in with him last night," Esme added after they had given their order to the waitress.

"Again?" Bella asked glad the focus was off of her. "What is that like the eighth time this month?"

"Twelfth," Esme answered. "He says he's not going to give up until I agree to live with him. He told me that going back and forth between our two apartments was just ridiculous. We shouldn't be paying for two places when we are always together."

"He's right," Alice piped in. "Moving in with Jasper was the best decision I have ever made."

"Yes, but you've been living with Jasper for almost four years now," Bella retorted. "Which, by your plan would have you and Jasper engaged already."

"Yeah, so where is the ring?" Rosalie asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"I think he has one," Alice said confidently. "I think he's just waiting for the right time."

"That is important," Esme said, checking her blackberry. "Damn it."

"What?" Alice asked.

"I have to go," Esme said as she put her blackberry in her purse and waived over the waitress to ask for her order to go. "My star witness just got himself arrested."

"Oh, the fun of being a lawyer," Rose said with a laugh. "This is why I went into advertising, strictly a Monday through Friday job."

"Well, I happen to love what I do. Plus if I hadn't taken this job, I'd have never met Carlisle." Esme smirked thinking of her ADA boyfriend, Carlisle Cullen.

"You met him at a club, Esme." Bella laughs. "I don't think the job mattered. I think it was that pretty little silver barely-there dress that hooked him."

"Well, that too. Talk to you girls later. Drinks Tuesday?" Esme asked, grabbing her food and standing up.

"I'm in," Rose said. "I know just the place too. There is a new club opening up near the Weller building. Anyone, who is anyone, will be there."

"I can't on Tuesday," Alice whined. "I'm meeting with Saks that night, but you girls go without me."

"I'm in," Bella agreed. "Not as if I have anything else to do."

"Call me with details," Esme said, kissing their cheeks before bolting out the door and leaving them to eat their brunch.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Three hours later, after brunch and an impromptu shopping excursion to Macy's, Bella sits on the couch in her living room staring at the three boxes of items returned to her from Edward's apartment. Part of her knows she should unpack them, but the more masochistic side of her wants to leave them there as a reminder that the love of her life doesn't feel the same way about her. Sure, he's told her once or twice that he loves her, but his love for her never came before work or his bachelor status. So, she sits with tears in her eyes staring at the boxes. Memories of the three years they spent together flash in her mind. She wasted all that time loving a man that would never love her enough to want to spend the rest of his life with her.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

_Does a breakup truly affect men as much as it does women? Do men sit around their apartments staring at boxes of items left at their once significant others house that have now been returned and wonder where did it go wrong? Why did I waste three years of my life with them knowing there wasn't going to ever be anything more?_

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Bella sat staring at her laptop, praying for more words of wisdom to appear before her so that she could finish her article for Vogue magazine. She is currently writing about the dating world for women over 30, and had now realized that most of what she was writing, most of the questions she was bringing up, were the same ones she was asking herself. She sat there, letting the boxes of her belongings taunt her. Sighing, she re-reads what she'd typed, only to be distracted a few moments later by the ringing of her cell phone.

"Hey, Sue," she answered.

"Bella, where are you?" Sue, Bella's stepmother, asked frantically.

"At home, working," Bella told her. "Why? What's wrong Sue?"

"You need to come to Seattle Grace Medical Center," Sue said out of breath.

"Why?" Bella asked, a feeling of dread pooling in her stomach.

"There's been accident." Sue cried. "A very bad accident."

"What?" Bella questions.

"It's your father, Bella." Sue said. "He was hurt very badly and is being airlifted from Forks to Seattle Grace. Please meet us there."

"I'm on my way," she said, closing her phone and looking for her keys and purse. She pulled open the front door only to see Rose and Alice standing there poised to knock.

"Sue called us," Rose said. "I've rented a car. Let's go. Esme wanted to come but with the case she's currently on she couldn't."

"Thanks," she said softly as she allowed her friends to pull her from the apartment and towards the car.

"Bella," a velvety voice said, stopping the three girls as they were about to climb into the car.

"Not now, Edward," Rose snapped. "We're in a hurry."

"Bella," pleaded Edward as he ignored the brassy blonde, who annoyed the crap out of him.

"I have to go." Bella sighed with tears in her eyes as she got in the car ignoring the look he gave her.

"Her dad's hurt really bad, Edward," Alice warned. "I'll have Jasper explain it to you."

"Tell her to call me, Alice. Tell her I'm sorry," he said moving towards his own waiting car.

"You're always sorry, Edward." Alice hisses with a sad shake of her head. "I'll tell her, but right now, it's not about you. It's about her father, so don't be too surprised after everything if she doesn't call you."

"I know," he mumbles sadly before getting in his car and allowing his driver to drive away.

"He's sorry," Alice mutters as she gets in the back seat next to her friend.

"He's always sorry." Bella sighs as Rose pulled away from the curb and towards the busy streets of Seattle. "But right now, I can't think about him and how sorry he is. I have to think about my dad."

"As it should be," Rose told her with a sad smile. "Now, let's go see Papa Swan."

Smiling sadly at her friends, Bella turns to look at the window and wonders why he showed up after four days of silence at the exact moment that she has to leave to be with her father. A small part of her wonders what he was going to say to her, but the part that knows him, knows that he came with empty apologies and promises that this time will be different. She knows it won't be, but right now, she doesn't have the energy to focus on the what-if's and the why's. She needs to put her energy into her father, to making sure that he's ok, because he's the one man she's always been able to count on in her life, the one man she knows will always be there for her. So today, she's going to be there for him and thoughts of velvety voices and piercing green eyes have no place.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

_When the going gets tough and the man you love shows up unexpectedly but then shakes his head sadly and walks away without a fight but mutters a useless apology to your friend, is that the point when you realize that it truly is over?_

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

A/N: What do you think of Edward having his driver drop off the boxes for Bella? Do you think he's really sorry? Should Bella give him another chance? Should she have stayed and listened to what he came to say to her?

A little clarification: all of the italicized thoughts are Bella writing her articles for Vogue.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Myers does, but the idea and telling of the tale below is a creature of my own making._

Big thanks to my Beta Barkleybear19 and Pre-reader Jasper's Woman. I wouldn't be able to do this without them.

Thanks to Gayle for always being my friend, supporting my writing, and always pushing me to do something I love.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Chapter 2:

_In life, there is only one man that a girl can count on to always be there for her no matter what. Her dad. He taught her how to ride her bike and a skateboard. He taught her how to drive and scared the boys away by cleaning his gun every time she had a date. So, what happens when there is a time when it seems like that man isn't going to be there for you anymore? How do you cope with the fear of losing the one man that loves you unconditionally?_

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

For twelve days, Bella sat inside her father's hospital room praying that he would wake up. The accident could easily take her father away from her, but she needed him to survive. She'd always been close to her father. Her friend's always like to call her a daddy's girl. He was the one person from her family that she'd always been able to count on.

Her mother was a flake. She didn't want to be a mother; she wanted to be Bella's friend. Bella was always the adult in that relationship. As soon as Bella turned ten, her mother, Renee, decided to marry a younger man and now only calls Bella when it's convenient for her. In fact, when Bella called about her father's accident, Renee didn't answer and has not yet returned the call.

Bella knew that if she had been raised by her mother, she would have never gotten the explanations about the changes her body started going through. Right before Bella's thirteenth birthday, Sue had planned a girl's day for them. She had taken her for a nice lunch at a quaint Bistro in Port Angeles. Then after a bit of shopping, she had sat down with Bella and asked her if she had any questions about the changes her body was going through. They had spent an hour with Bella asking questions and Sue answering them. When Bella's first monthly happened, she was prepared, all thanks to her step-mother.

No, as far as Bella was concerned, Sue, who had been married to her father since she had been eleven, was her mother. She was the woman that had raised Bella. Sue was the one that was there for all the important events that happened as Bella became a woman. She even took Bella on her first trip to purchase monthly female products. There was no way Charlie could take Bella; they would both have died of embarrassment.

When Bella had her heart broken for the first time in ninth grade by Tyler Crowley, Sue had been the one to sit with her on the couch and let her cry it out. She'd been the one to bring in the ice cream and girly movies as a way to cheer up the fifteen year old girl. When Bella had told her mother about Tyler, she'd simply told Bella to buck up as there were other fish in the sea.

Looking up from her computer screen, her face landed on her true mother, the only mother that in Bella's mind counted when things mattered. Sue looked up and smiled at her, and Bella returned the smile before looking back down at her computer screen, praying for an ending to her article. She was trying to make good use of her time in the waiting room as they waited for Charlie to get back to his room after being taken for some tests.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

_When a girl is growing up, her mother is the person she wants to become, but her father is her hero. He's the one that makes her feel safe, protected, and loved. He's the one that scares away all the wrong boys but makes the right one squirm. A good father makes sure there is always someone there to help his daughter when their mother walks away. But, what happens to the daughter when the father isn't there after the mother is gone? Who takes care of the daughter? It surely isn't the man who says he loves her but walks away. Why is the loss of the man you love almost as painful as the thought of losing a father? When fathers give their daughters away in marriage, does it make the husband the protector? What if it's not in marriage? What if the father turns the responsibility of protecting the daughter to the man he thought would be there for her forever? What happens when the daughter loses both the father and protection of the man that walked away? Who protects her now?_

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Bella had just finished writing the last words of an article for Vogue and was frowning at the paragraph that she had written hastily and now hated it, she saved the document and shut her laptop. As she was walking back to her father's room she found Esme waiting for her. This would be the first time since Charlie had been in the hospital that Esme was able to make it to visit them. She'd been swamped with a case at work while Rosalie and Alice had been doing double duty to make sure Bella was never alone.

"Hey, honey," Esme said, pulling Bella into a tight hug. "How is he?"

"The same." Bella sighed. "Still in a coma, but the doctor says that at least his body is healing this way."

"Oh, sweetie." Esme sat down next to Bella and held her hand. "Rose told me he was trapped between two cars after trying to do a routine traffic stop."

"Yeah, he pulled a kid over for driving erratically with another car. A drunk driver behind the wheel plowed into them, pinning my dad between the two cars. The doctor said he has massive internal injuries and a concussion," Bella said through the tears that had started to well up in her eyes.

"Bella." Esme gasped as she pulled her into a hug. "It's ok, sweetie. Charlie is a fighter. He's going to pull through this."

"I keep telling myself that." Bella wiped her eyes and looked at Esme. "Sue keeps telling me he's strong and that he's not ready to leave us. The doctor says that if they can get the swelling in his brain to go down then he has a great chance. They were able to repair most of the internal damage."

"What can I do?" Esme inquired. "What do you need?"

"Right now, just having you here is good," she told her friend honestly. "Alice and Rose have been here a few times, and they keep bringing me clothes from my apartment."

"What about food? Are you eating?"

"Yes, Sue brings me food constantly," Bella said, grateful for those in her life.

"Where is Sue?"

"Taking a walk," Bella answered. "She does this around this time every day. She says she needs to stretch her legs, but I think it's because she doesn't want me to see how scared she is that dad won't wake up."

"He's going to wake up, Bella," Esme said. "I refuse to believe that he's done here. He's not ready to leave you both. He loves you both too much to leave."

"I hope you're right. But I sometimes see this look in the doctor's eyes, like even he believes that my dad won't wake up." Bella softly whispered while looking at her unconscious father.

"Oh, don't mind me," a nurse said halting their conversation. "I just need to check his vitals."

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Bella decided that now was as good a time as any to check her voicemails. She had been preoccupied with her dad and had yet to check them. She wasn't surprised to see that most of them were from Edward.

Edward:  _"Bella, I know that you are going through a lot right now, but I really need to talk to you. Please call me back."_

Edward: _"Edward again. I know you are mad at me, but I need to tell you something. It's important. Not more important than your dad, but it's important."_

Edward: _"Baby, I know I'm an ass, and I pray that your dad is ok, but I really need to talk to you as soon as possible. Please call me back."_

Angela:  _"Bella, I heard about your father. You and your family are in my prayers."_

Emmett:  _"Bella boo, Rosie told me about your dad. I'm thinking about you baby girl."_

Carlisle:  _"Bella, Esme told me what happened. Please call me if you need anything."_

Edward:  _"Bella, baby, please call me. I need to know that you are ok."_

Edward:  _"Please, Bella. I need to talk to you. To hear your voice. Please call me."_

Harry:  _"I heard about your father, Bella. You are in my thoughts, honey."_

Edward:  _"Love, it's me again. I need to talk to you. I need to know how you are and if I can do anything."_

Edward:" _Bella, love, I have to go to London for a while for work. Please call me and tell me how your dad is and if you need anything. You can call me anytime. I will always answer your calls. I love you and miss you terribly, baby. I know you don't believe me, but I do love you. I will always love you."_

Alice:  _"Bella, can you believe that ass left without coming to see you? I swear when Jasper told me I wanted to go the airport and kill him, but because I know you still love him I didn't. But I can fly to London and do it if you want me to. I'll check with you when I see you later. Love you."_

Rose:  _"He's an ass Bella. Concentrate on your dad and forget him."_

Edward:  _"I made it to London safely. I just needed you to know that. I love you, and I miss you already. I hope your father is better."_

Edward:  _"It's been a week and a half since I last held you. A week and half since you walked out of my apartment telling me this time it was really over. Now, I'm on another continent, and all I can think about is that I should be there with you. I should be holding your hand while you sit with your father … and I'm not."_

Edward:  _"Maybe, this time with me gone is what we really need. Maybe, this time apart will do us some good. I don't know. I just wish you'd call me, even if it's just to tell me to fuck off. God, I miss you."_

Edward:  _"Ok, I get it. You don't want to hear from me. Alice made that perfectly clear when she called me. I won't bother you again_ , _but just remember that I love you, Isabella Marie Swan, now and always."_

Bella sat staring at her cell phone after checking her messages. She couldn't believe the number of messages that Edward had left her, and she really couldn't believe that he'd actually gone to London without so much as coming to say good bye. She laughed at the thought that he regretted that they were over and then got furious that he felt they needed this time apart. She didn't want to be apart from him. He was it for her, but obviously, she wasn't it for him.

Not wanting to deal with him, she took Rose's advice and decided to focus all her thoughts on her father. She was trying a new method of thinking positive thoughts in hopes they would help her father heal faster and wake up. Edward was gone, and it was time to do the "out of sight out of mind" approach to dealing with her feelings for him.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Bella's phone alerted her to another voice message. This time it was from Renee.  _"Bella, I hope that Charlie is doing ok. He's strong Bella. He'll be fine. I think you should come and visit me. It's been a long time since I've seen you. Bring that hunky boyfriend of yours and come spend some time with me and Phil. We've got a great new house in Laguna Beach, and you really could use some time in the sun….living in Seattle won't get you tan, baby. Anyway, call me when you've decided you can fit me into your life."_

Groaning, Bella decided to not deal with Renee. Renee obviously didn't care when she'd told her about Charlie. She also proved that she certainly didn't listen when Bella had told her that she'd ended things with Edward.

Bella's eyes wandered over to the bed her father lay in. She wondered what he was thinking about. If he was thinking about her and Sue, or if he was wondering what the score had been for the Mariners games he was missing. The nurses and doctors told them to talk to him so that he could hear them, but she wasn't so sure he could. Still skeptical, she watched as Sue sat leaned in towards her father, talking quietly into his ear. She wondered if like her, Sue was pleading with her father not to leave them, and Bella hoped it worked. She truly couldn't imagine living in a world where her father didn't exist. She used to feel that way about Edward, but over the past twelve days, she was slowly starting to realize that perhaps she could survive in a world where he wasn't hers.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

_Older people have often said that if you love someone let them go. If they stay away, then they were never yours to begin with. If they come back, then they are yours to keep. It's the best way for some to explain why some relationships either work out, or they break up and then get back together. Is it really true though? Do you get to keep someone just because they came back once, twice or maybe even three times? If someone moves half way across the world for work, leaves tons of messages saying they regret the way things were left, and then suddenly stops calling, does that mean that they were never yours to keep? Or, does it mean that you have to wait to find out if they come back in the end? When does it become okay to move on and find out for yourself if the one that left, was the one? When do you move on without the questions about what happens if or when the one that left comes back? If letting someone go is so easy, why does it hurt so bad?_

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

A/N: Thank you for reading. It means the world to me.

So do we think Alice should go after Edward for Bella? Is he a coward for leaving without talking to Bella face to face?

Reviewers will get a teaser from the next update.


	3. Chapter 3

_So, I'm a giant fail at this updating thing, but I do have to say that RL is kicking my butt. I've been inside more airplanes over the past month than a person should be. Here is hoping that this makes up for my time away._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyers does, but the idea and telling of the tale below is a creature of my own making._

Big thanks to my Beta Barkleybear19 and Pre-reader Jasper's Woman. I wouldn't be able to do this without them.

Thanks to Gayle for always being my friend, supporting my writing, and always pushing me to do something I love.

(Side note: ~DG~ is the title initials I'm using as a break)

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Chapter 3:

_They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but how do we really know? Why is it ok to love them more when they are not around?_

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

In the three years that they had been together, no break up had ever been like this. It had been three weeks since Edward had last heard from Bella. He was at a complete loss of what to do as Bella had never refused to speak to him before. She denied his calls and ignored his texts and emails. This was new territory for him, and he didn't like it. He was at a complete and utter loss that came with the silence from the one person he had cared about. His saving grace, or so he thought, was that Jasper had decided to fly to London to spend a weekend with him.

"I just need to know if she is okay," Edward said sadly as he once again tried to get information out of Jasper. "She's not taking my calls."

"Do you blame her?" Jasper asked his friend. "She's dealing with a lot right now, man."

"Do you think I don't know that? Do you think I don't realize that she's got a lot on her plate with her dad in the hospital?" he asked angrily. "I'm not stupid, Jasper."

"Really?" Jasper questioned with a laugh. "You could have fooled me."

"I'm an ass, and I get that. What was I supposed to do? Place the London office on hold in order to stay in the states?"

"Idiot. Yes that is exactly what you were supposed to do," Jasper told him. "You say you love her, but you let her walk away from you. Then, you leave when she needs you most without even really trying to talk to her."

"I know, okay. I know," Edward replied. "Jasper, she walked away from me. She told me that she wanted more and then walked away."

"And you let her," Jasper interrupted him. ""You didn't talk to her, and then you let Demitri take her everything she had at your house. If that didn't send a clear message that you were done, then I don't know what would have. "

"I know that was stupid, but I was angry," Edward said. "She was so ready to give up on us. She left me. I love her. I wanted to be with her..."

"On your terms," Jasper interrupted his friend. "As long as she didn't talk about marriage and babies, you were more than willing to be with her. She just wanted more out of life."

"I can't give her more," Edward said.

"No, you can," Jasper inserted. "You just won't."

"Jazz, you know me better than anyone," he said. "You saw first-hand what happened with Kate. I won't go through that again. I just won't." He ran his fingers through his hair in agitation.

"Wrong! You based everything you had with Bella on that psycho ex-wife of yours," Jasper told him.

"Jasper…." Edward said before getting cut off.

"I don't want to hear it. You just lost the best thing that ever happened to you," he said. "You could have let one of the lower level execs take care of London, but you took off instead of staying and fighting for what you truly want. Bella."

"I didn't run." he said angrily. "I just don't trust a lower level exec to open the office. Not until I know that this will work, and then in a few months time, I can leave one of the execs in charge."

"I'll be sure to tell Bella that the next time I see her." Jasper said sarcastically.

"You do that," Edward said angrily.

"I have to go, so I don't miss my flight. Try and think about what I said," Jasper told him before leaving Edward's office, shutting the door soundly behind him.

Sitting back in the chair, Edward scrubbed his hands over his face. He was tired of defending himself to his friends. He did what he thought was right by Bella. The problem was that he missed her more than he thought he would. If he hadn't messed up so badly, she might have come with him to London. As a writer, he knew she could have written from anywhere. However, he took the cowardly way out and didn't fight for her.

Now, he felt like an ass. He had to get updates on Bella and her father from His friends, but they had been warned to give as little information as possible. That in itself was enough to drive him insane. He could barely concentrate on his work. He had hoped that if he just knew Bella and her father were ok, he'd be able to put it behind him. He really needed to accomplish what he came to London for.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

_When you are no longer one-half of a couple, when is having a drink or speaking with a member of the opposite sex really cheating? How long after a break up is it ok to get back onto the playing field? Who makes the rules? How soon really is too soon?_

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Edward headed to the nearest pub only moments after getting a text that Jasper had boarded his flight. He knew deep down that Jasper was right. Even though he knew it was wrong. Edward would always put work first.

Looking back, Kate had really done a number on him. She had stolen his breath away the first time he had seen her at a frat party. Their romance blossomed quickly after their first meeting, and by the time they had entered graduate school, they were married.

~DG~

" _Hi. My name is Katherine, but my friends call me Katie," she said smiling shyly at him._

" _Edward," he said offering her what he thought was his world famous smirk. It was the one he used on his mother when he wanted things to go his way. "Are you enjoying the party?"_

" _It's okay," she told him, taking a sip of her drink. "Parties aren't really my thing."_

" _Mine either, but as a fraternity brother I'm expected to go to these," he said with a laugh. "Especially, the ones that happen at the house."_

" _I can understand that," she replied. "Sororities are the same way."_

" _You have the most beautiful eyes," he said out of nowhere, surprising them both._

" _Um…thanks," She said with a small giggle._

" _You're welcome," he answered. "Want to go somewhere quieter?"_

" _Sure," She said taking the hand he suddenly offered._

" _I can't believe we_   _just got married," Katie said as her new husband carried her over the threshold of their small apartment._

" _I know it's still so surreal, but I don't regret it," he told her setting her down on the couch "I mean_ , _we were going to get married anyway. Why wait another four years?"_

" _True." Kate snuggled up against her husband._

~DG~

Things were fine for the first few months of marriage. They were both TA's to help make a little money while still being able to focus on their studies. They had also found a great little apartment that was conveniently near campus. Everything was right in the world.

Three years after graduation, Kate decided that it was time to have a baby, but Edward knew that he only wanted to make money. For months, Kate begged him to try for a baby, but he kept telling her they weren't ready. It wasn't the right time. They weren't financially ready. It was too soon. Maybe after the business became more successful. However, it wasn't until a year later that he realized he did want children, just not with Kate.

~DG~

" _Please, Edward," Katie begged as she sat watching Edward get ready for work. "I haven't started my career yet, so now is the perfect time for us to have a baby."_

" _Katie, we have been over this," he said turning to face her. "I'm not ready for us to be parents. You said it yourself, I work too much. Do you really want to be a single parent?"_

" _Things can change, Eddie," she said using the nickname that he once liked hearing from her. "I know that once the baby comes, you will be so happy about it that you will cut back your hours."_

" _How can you be so sure of that?" he asked as he stared at her. "How can you be so sure that I will be in a position where the company can run without me? I told you three years ago, this company was going to be my life until it became successful. We are in a shaky economy, Kate. I have to focus on the business."_

" _It's always the business with you!" she yelled._ "I have supported you through everything, so why can't you just give me this one thing?"

" _No,." he told her. "I'm not budging on this, Katherine. Now is not the right time for us to have children," he said with finality as he walked out of the room._ Deep down, he knew the problem wasn't with the economy and that the business would be fine. There was something else lurking inside of him that kept him from giving her the child she so desperately wanted.

~DG~

His revelation came one night while sitting around the bar with Jasper and a couple of their fraternity brothers, Alec and Marcus. He had sat around listening to the three of them talk about the women in their lives.

Alec was recently divorced, his wife having decided she liked her boss a lot more than her husband. Marcus was currently dating a woman, who after four months had started to name their kids. Jasper was the only one in a new relationship. He had met the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with. Alice Brandon was going to be the mother of his children.

When he told Kate that he didn't want to have children, she spent the next four months trying to trick him. When he realized what she was doing, he finally broke down and told her that he didn't want children with  _her._  At the time, Mason Enterprises Inc. had finally taken off and was starting to make a profit, so Edward became extremely focused on his work. Kate was truly desperate to get pregnant, but Edward didn't realize it until it was too late. She showed up at his office one day demanding that he love this child and support her through the pregnancy as any good husband would. He found out later that she'd lied about the whole thing. She enjoyed the social status being married to him had given her and was desperate to keep it.

~DG~

" _You are going to love this baby, Edward," Kate told him._ "You don't really have a choice. We made this child together, and we're going to raise it together."

" _I am, am I?" he asked only partially paying attention to her._

" _Yes, damnit," she said angrily. "This is our baby, Edward. It is a part of you and a part of me_.  _Why can't you just enjoy this with me?"_

" _I've made it abundantly clear that I don't want to have children with you," he told her just as angry at her as she was at him._

" _Why? I don't understand why you don't want this baby with me?" she asked crying. "You say you love me, you married me, and now, you've gotten me pregnant."_

" _Stop crying, Kate. I know those tears are as real as this pregnancy. I talked to your doctor," he responded._

" _You did what?" she asked surprised. "Why would you do that?"_

" _I'm not stupid, and I know for a fact that I've used a condom every time I've had sex with you over the past four months," he informed her. "I wasn't lying when I said I wouldn't get you pregnant."_

" _I hate you!" she screamed at him before storming out of the room._

" _Feeling is mutual," he mumbled to himself as he watched her leave._

~DG~

As soon as she left, Edward contacted Carlisle, an old acquaintance who was a lawyer, for divorce assistance. When he told Kate that he wanted to end their marriage, she promised him she would take him for all he was worth. Not wanting to lose his company or have to buy Kate out, he agreed to a ridiculous alimony settlement. Edward moved on with his life – well – tried to move on.

~DG~

" _You're going to regret this, Edward," Kate threatened him. "I'm going to take you for everything you're worth, including your precious company."_

" _Try it ,and I promise you that I can fight just as dirty in court as you can," he told her. "Trust me little girl you won't win."_

" _I won't take this settlement. I gave him eight years of my life, and I am worth more than this," she told her lawyer._

" _It's a good settlement, Kate, it will give you the chance to start over, have the career you want." Irina, her lawyer, informed her. "Take it. Don't be stupid, and take it. You and I both know that you can't win against him in court."_

" _Fine," she said. "It seems I have no other choice. You win, as always," she said snidely to Edward before grabbing her purse and storming out of the conference room._

" _It's for the best, Edward," Carlisle told him. "She will be fine with the settlement. Once the judge signs off on the papers, she'll be out of your life forever."_

" _Here's hoping." He said following his lawyer out of the office._

~DG~

As he became more successful, Kate would pop back up and try to demand more money from him. His divorce had been final for six months when Alice introduced him to Bella. Things were going well until Kate found out about Bella. She showed up one day demanding that he increase her alimony. Of course, he denied her, but she still demanded attention. She even went so far as to tell her lawyer that it wouldn't be fair for his next wife to receive more than her. She had been there from the beginning, so it was only natural that should receive at least half. When Edward found out about this, he made sure the judge knew what had been said. The judge was so appalled that all future alimony payments were stopped, and Kate was brought up on extortion charges. She continues to still make his life miserable from time to time, but he kept this information from Bella.

He swore he would never go through this kind of heartache again when it didn't work out. His time with Kate should had shown him that, but Bella was the marrying type. Deep down though, he knew that Bella was the woman he was meant to be with. He just wasn't willing to risk it.

"Is this seat taken?" a voice asked, pulling him out of his musing.

"No," he said, taking sip of his favorite amber liquid before looking to his left. There was a tall blonde sliding onto the bar stool next to him.

"I'll have whatever he's having," the blonde told the bartender. "You look like you are trying to drown your sorrows."

"You could say that," Edward said gruffly as he took another drink.

"So, tell me. What has an attractive man like you sitting alone in a pub, drowning his sorrows in scotch?" the blonde asked. "Don't tell me girl problems?"

"Nope, not anymore," he replied. "Definitely don't have problems with the girl. She's gone."

"So, you're not attached," the blond said surprised, "and by gone, do you mean she left you here in London all on your own?"

"She was never in London," he said, signaling to the bartender for another drink. "I pushed her away, and then came to London to hide, or so my best friend told me."

"And you miss her?"

"More than anything," Edward said, staring at the amber liquid in the glass before him. "But I figure after a few more of these, I won't miss anything."

"Do you want company?" the person asked. "It's never really good to drink alone at a time like this."

"It's a free country," Edward replied, downing his drink and asking for another round. "To not feeling anything," he said as he raised his glass towards his new companion.

"To waking up tomorrow, and perhaps, missing her little bit less than today," his companion said with a grin before clinking glasses with him.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

_What is so appealing to the younger generation about meeting someone in a bar and hooking up with them? Does the appeal of meaningless sex still come into play when you are drowning your sorrows over a lost love? Why is it so easy to allow your senses to fall when alcohol enters the system? What makes a one night stand better than being in love?_

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

A/N So, what do we all think about what Jasper had to say to Edward? Is he a coward for leaving like he did? And who is the person sitting with Edward? Tall and Blonder: Could it be Rose or Jasper or someone who could cause trouble? Will Edward cheat, and if he does is it actually cheating?

Reviews will get a teaser of the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

_I suck with the updating and sending out teasers and replies. Real life just got in the way. I promise to do better next time._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyers does, but the idea and telling of the tale below is a creature of my own making._

_Big thanks to my Beta Barkleybear19 and Pre-reader Jasper's Woman. I wouldn't be able to do this without them._

_Thanks to Gayle for always being my friend, supporting my writing, and always pushing me to do something I love._

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Chapter 4:

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

_**Life Lessons** _

_You may have thought I didn't see,  
Or that I hadn't heard,  
Life lessons that you taught to me,  
But I got every word._

_Perhaps you thought I missed it all,  
And that we'd grow apart,  
But Dad, I picked up everything,  
It's written on my heart._

_Without you, Dad, I wouldn't be  
The woman I am today;  
You built a strong foundation  
No one can take away._

_I've grown up with your values,  
And I'm very glad I did;  
So here's to you, dear father,  
From your forever grateful kid._

_By Joanna Fuchs  
_

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Bella sat, reading over a printed out version of the column that she was working on. For oust holidays, she would write a special column focusing on what the holidays meaning. For the past week, she'd been working on one for Father's Day. Seeing her father lay helpless for weeks at a time had inspired her ot start working on the column early this year. Father's Day was still two months away, but she wanted to make sure she was finished so that she could read it to her dad. Sighing, she placed the printed paper down on the seat next to her and rubbed her tired eyes. Stretching slightly, she was startled when the door opened.

"Hey," a quiet voice stated as someone entered her father's room.

"Hi," Bella replied as she watched Carlisle move her work to a table nearby and fold himself into the chair next to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you could use some company," he told her. "Esme had an unexpected meeting come up just as she was about to come here, so I offered to take her place. It's been a while since I've seen you."

"Yeah," Bella said softly.

"So, how are you holding up kiddo?" Carlisle asked.

"I'm dealing. It's the same each day," she said. "The doctor says that his latest tests look good, but I'm still worried. He hasn't woken up yet."

"I know I'm not a doctor, but I do know that rest is the best way to heal a body," Carlisle told her.

"That is what his doctors keep telling Sue and I, but…" She ended with a sigh.

"But both of you won't believe he's alright until he opens his eyes," Carlisle finished for her.

"Exactly," she said.

"My dad and I were the same way with my mom," He said. "She was in a bad car accident when I was eighteen, about six months after I had left for college. She was hit by a drunk driver and in a coma," he told her. "Every doctor that saw her told us the same thing. Her tests were improving as the weeks went on, but my father and I were still skeptical. My father was a minister and truly believed that God would take care of my mother, she would wake up when He was ready for her to. I could tell as the weeks progressed, the longer she stayed in the coma the more my father feared she would never wake up. It was the only time I'd ever seen his faith in God waiver."

"How long was she in the coma before she woke up?" Bella asked her friend as she pulled her legs up and rested her head on her knees.

"Four months, and that was after the four weeks of being in a medically induced coma," Carlisle answered. "She had some serious internal injuries, and the doctors told us repeatedly that she was better off as she was. It gave her time to heal, but I thought that they just didn't want to tell us that my mother was never going to wake up again."

"But, she did right?" Bella asked as she shot a side glance at her father.

"She did. Almost six months later she finally woke up," he answered. "Afterwards it was hard on her. All the physical therapy she had to go through and the fact that she'd lost almost ten months of her life. My father gave up his position at the church so that he could stay home and take care of her. I even ended up taking a year and a half off to help out as well. It was a long hard road and to this day I still think my mother has times when she finds it hard to do things. For the most part, it's almost as if nothing happened."

"Right now, I'd do anything to see my father open his eyes and smile," she said. It's only been a month, but I miss his smile the most. He had one of those infections kinds. You know, the kind that makes you smile even if you don't want to. It was always hard not to smile with him or be sad. My father's smile has always been one of my favorite thing."

"I know someone like that," Carlisle said.

"Esme," Bella replied with a slight nod.

"Not just her but you too," he said. "Bella, when you truly smile, it's one of the brightest smiles I have ever seen. Even surpasses Esme. Although, I know right now you don't really have anything to smile about."

"I don't. Not really," she replied. "But I am trying to smile and stay positive during all this. If I can show Sue that I have faith that he'll wake up, she'll believe it too."

"He'll wake up Bella. He has too much to live for," Carlisle told her before reaching over and giving her a one armed hug.

"I hope so," she said as she laid her head on his shoulder, accepting his warmth and comfort.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

"Bella, I'm going to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Do you want anything?" Sue asked as she stood up.

"No, thanks," she replied. "I'm okay."

"Carlisle?" Sue asked. "Would you like some coffee or something to eat?"

"I'm good, Sue. Thank you," he told her with a smile.

"Okay, I'll be back in few," she said as she stepped out the door.

"Ask," Carlisle said as soon as the door closed.

"Ask what?" Bella said lifting her head off his shoulder. They had been sitting like that since before Sue had shown up half an hour earlier. It felt nice to have someone comfort her, even if it wasn't the arms she longed for.

"Ask about Edward."

"Have you talked to him?" she asked, looking at her friend.

"I have," he replied. "He called me a few days ago."

"Is he still in London?"

"Yes, he's going to be there for some time. They are having problem with the new office," he said.

"Is he alright, though?"

"Depends on your definition of being alright," he replied. "Jasper visited him last weekend and said that he was burying himself in his work."

"Typical," Bella mumbled.

"That part is typical," Carlisle said with a slight laugh.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"Nothing, Bella. It means nothing. Just know that when I talked to him, he sounded miserable and lonely," he told her.

"Is it mean of me to be happy that he's miserable?" she wondered.

"No, I think I'd probably feel the same way if it was Esme that had left me," he told her. "It's natural. There really was no closure between the two of you."

"Oh no, there was closure, Carlisle," she said. "He had Demitri return my things and left. That is enough closure for me."

"No, it's not Bella," he said. "That's not closure. That is Edward dong what he does best, using work as an excuse to not deal with any real feelings. One day, he'll learn."

Maybe," she told him before looking back at her father.

"I just pray that when he figures it all out, it's not too late," he said before wrapping his arm back around her.

"Me too," she said so quietly that Carlisle wasn't sure she'd said it.

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

_Friends: the people that we come to rely on to support us no matter what. They are the family we chose for ourselves. Why is it comforting to have someone close to the person you love comfort you when the on you really want isn't there? Are friends a suitable substitute for the one that left you behind?_

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

"Hey, wake up sleepyhead." Bella heard as a hand shook her shoulder. Blinking her eyes slowly, she sat up and looked at the person who had woken her. "Alice?"

"Hey, honey," Alice said sitting down on the space on the couch that Bella had opened up when she sat up.

"Hey, what tie is it?" Bella asked.

"A little after seven. You were completely out when I got here fifteen minutes ago. I would have woken you up then, but I wanted to talk to Carlisle," Alice said. "He told me to tell you to call him if you need him and to not worry about Edward. He made his own bed and you should focus on your dad and not him."

"If only it was that easy," Bella said. "He just tends to pop into my head when I least expect it."

"I know, sweetie," Alice said before pulling Bella into a hug. "How's Charlie?"

"The same," she answered. "The doctors say that he is healing, but they can't explain why he hasn't woken up."

"Maybe, he's just being stubborn," Alice said with a small laugh.

"That is entirely possible," Sue said as she stepped back into the room. "He's is incredibly stubborn."

"That he is," Bella said with a smile. "I swear, sometimes talking to him is like talking to a brick wall."

"It is," Sue said with a laugh as she sat down in the chair beside his bed. "When I wanted to redo the kitchen last fall, he argued with me for six weeks about the fact that he didn't want to have workers in the house. I was ready to burn the kitchen down just to get what I wanted."

"He told me that you saw a kitchen on a cooking show and just had to have it. He liked the kitchen just the way it was, the way it had always been." Bella said.

"Yeah, he liked the idea of keeping the house exactly as it was when we moved in," Sue said, "I think that was mostly because if it was the same then he could still pretend that you were a little girl still living at home with us."

"Yeah, but you won out in the end," Alice said.

"I did. Once I convinced him that no matter what the kitchen looked like, the house would always be Bella's home. It would always be her safe haven to come back to when she needed it. I took a while for the message to sink in," Sue said, sending a loving smile towards her stepdaughter.

It is my safe haven, "Bella said, returning her stepmothers smile. "It's always the first place I want to go when things get bad."

"Ok, enough sad," Alice said with a little clap. "Let's talk about what we are going to do the minute Charlie is spring from this joint. I'm thinking spa day."

"Spa day, Alice?" Bella asked turning to look at her friend.

Yes, Bella. Spa Day," she said. "Both of you have spent the last month sitting in this hospital room. You all deserve a spa day, and we haven't had a girly day in a while. Even Rose and Esme agree that we are due for one."

"It's a good idea, Bella," Sue said. "You deserve a day like that, and I don't think that you should wait until after your father is home. He wouldn't want you spending all your time in the hospital, which you have done."

"True, but you deserve a break as well, Sue," Alice said.

"How about I make you a deal, Alice?" Sue said.

"What kind of deal?" Alice asked as Bella watched them.

"You and the girls take Bella out for a girl's day this Saturday, and once Charlie is at home, I'll let you treat me to a spa day and a shopping trip."

"Really?" Alice asked getting excited as if someone had just told her Christmas had come early this year.

"Yes, really," Sue said with a laugh.

"It's a deal," she said standing up and grabbing her stuff. "I'm going to call the girls and plan. Bella, I'll talk to you tomorrow," Alice told her friend before hugging her and then Sue as she rushed out the door.

"Really?" Bella said with a raised eyebrow.

"You need it, sweetie," Sue said, coming to sit next to her. "You've had a rough couple of weeks between your dad and Edward, and you deserve a day to be pampered. Go hang out with your friends and pretend that everything is exactly how it was before that dreadful day a month ago. I promise that I will call you if anything changes with your father."

"Sue, it's not fair of me to leave you here alone," she said.

"I'm not alone, I have your father," Sue told her. "He's going to wake up, Bella, and when he does he's going to be very upset that you've put your life on hold to sit here with him. You know how he is about that. He wouldn't want you staying here with you all the time. Hell, he probably won't be happy that I haven't been to the flower shop since the incident either."

"I'm fine being here, Sue. You know that I can work anywhere."

"I know, but you need this day. You haven't left this hospital once since your father was brought in," Sue told her. "I have at least gone home, checked in at the flower shop and taken walks outside. The farthest you have gone from this room has been the cafeteria."

"Fine, I see I' not going to win this argument," Bella said with a laugh as she leaned against Sue. "I'll go."

"Good girl," Sue said, kissing her forehead. They sat in silence watching and waiting for any sign that Charlie was waking up. Neither one said anything, knowing that his body may not be ready yet. Bella's phone rang, breaking the silence. Sighing, she excused herself and went out into the hall to answer it.

"Hello?" she said.

"Bella?"

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

_They say that time heals all wounds, but how much time is enough when it's about someone you love? How long should you hold out hope that a different outcome will happen? When is it time to give up and realize that maybe things aren't as okay as you think they are? Maybe, just maybe, everything won't be ok._

~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

A/N: So, what do you think about Carlisle's visit with Bella? What about Alice wrenching a girly day by using Sue to get it? Who said Bella at the end? Is it the person ton the phone or someone there with her?

Reviews will get a teaser to the next chapter. (I promise this time.)


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